Longwinged Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

GENUS HELICONIUS 

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)

• Butterflies (Superfamily Papilionoidea)

• Brush-footed Butterflies (Family Nymphalidae)

• Fritillaries and Longwings (Subfamily Heliconiinae)

• Longwings (Tribe Heliconiini)

• Genus Heliconius

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Commonly known as the longwings, Heliconius butterflies are distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, from the southern United States through Central America and across much of South America. They are characterized by their elongated wings and striking patterns of black, red, orange, yellow, white, and blue, which serve as warning coloration to predators. These butterflies obtain chemical defenses from their larval host plants, primarily passionflower vines (Passiflora), making them distasteful to many predators.

Unlike most butterflies, adult Heliconius species supplement nectar feeding by collecting and digesting pollen, a behavior that provides additional amino acids and allows them to live much longer than most butterflies.

HELICONIUS - LONGWINGED BUTTERFLIES - SPECIES